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LV Philharmonic and Twin Shadow

[FOURTH OF JULY] THURSDAY, JULY 4

No, the local orchestra of record and the Brooklyn-based music-fest favorite aren’t co-headlining a bill. But they represent two appealing musical choices for Independence Day, should squinting at the local casino’s fireworks show from your pool deck no longer be an option.

There’s a lot going on at The Smith Center for our country’s 237th. Festivities begin with an outdoor event at 4 p.m. at Symphony Park, with the usual backyard-BBQ options available for purchase, and live music up until the 7:30 p.m. start of the Philharmonic’s patriotic-themed pops concert inside the Reynolds Hall. That separately ticketed program will be audible for those outside, and when the fireworks begin at 9 p.m., attendees inside have the option of joining the crowd at Symphony Park at no charge, or watch a videocast of the pyro show inside as the musicians play. If that wasn’t enough, those with Philharmonic tickets can check out the adjacent Discovery Museum for free between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., until capacity is reached.

Or you could keep it simple and check out George Lewis Jr.’s heralded new wave/post-punk act, Twin Shadow, which returns to the Cosmopolitan barely 10 months after performing at the casino’s Book and Stage bar. This time, he and his band are playing the fourth-floor Boulevard Pool, which means more room for everyone, not to mention free fireworks overhead! It may very well be the least obnoxious place to both see the colorful spectacle and remain in the heart of the Strip. Also: It’s cheap, which means more money for beer, and did our colonial ancestors not fight for our right to drown our internal organs with soothing ale while rocking out?